[N163] Rogue Light OST

[ollaxe]

Rogue Light is a game that a few others and me have been working on for the last half a year. It's a 2D top-down action game that is heavily inspired by Hyper Light Drifter and Titan Souls. It's actually a school project, because I go to a school that teaches game development. I'm in a game programming class, but the school also offers a game graphics orientation.

The school I go to is actually part of a chain of 14 upper secondary schools located all over Sweden. Every year, they arrange a competition where each school gets to send four games made by their students to compete with all the other schools in different categories. Our game came in at second place in the "best newcomer" category, which is only open to those who go the first year in the school. But better yet, out of all of the 56 entries, our game won the award for "best music and sound". Guess who was responsible for that part of the game.

If you would like to check the game out, I have a website for it. I'll probably upload a short wave-based demo there soon, but I'd like to iron out a few bugs first. If we continue working on this game, we're going to make levels as well. We were going to get some levels done for the competition, but we ran out of time, so I just built a quick wave-based spawning system instead.

Anyway, I've decided to share the FTM here, as I'd like some feedback on it. I haven't posted any music here in forever anyway, so it's about time I do. If you have anything you'd like to say about it, good or bad, then don't hold back.

Enjoy!


Edit: Due to this happening, I've decided that I'm going to erase all of my FTM's from the forums. I've made this soundtrack available on my soundcloud instead. If you would like access to any of the source files for my music, feel free to DM me on Discord.

[ollaxe]

ThisIsTheFirstThingIvePostedInOneAndAHalfYearIAmInDesperateNeedOfFeedbackPleaseDonateFeedbackBelowItWouldMeanALotToMeThankYou

[LunuLeaf]

This. Is. Great.

i've just heard throught your FTM and can't find anything I would have problems hearing it, because your songs are very, very polished.
Good Percussion, good bass and the use of different instuments like crystals for the counter melody (I mean your 0 19 0 instrument, I just call them crystals) was also very nice.

At first the intro song with the triangle as the lead was well done and the Namco Channels in the secound part of the track were very atmospheric, I just have the feeling this could also be put into something else than an intro (like imagine hearing the song, while going throught a desert city, because of the "exotic" Triangle flute for example), but I don't think this makes this song bad.

At next Get Ready, which is also very polished and fits into this "Hey, your entering the next level BE PREPARED". I think the lenght is okay for something like this.

"Level 2" has a melody, which makes the game atmospheric and it is a lot of fun hearing this. Also here good innovation on the secound half with a faster beat.

The Boss music is my favourite because it's really atmospheric (yes I know that I am repeating some words, but that's just me when describing stuff like this). The use of vibratos at 04 - 07 were good, I don't see such a technique very often on FTMs and the melody ... I really hope that I would make such great melodies like you at 08 - 0B someday.

Before I forgot, good one channel echos.

Well, the ending theme is a WIP but well done(, but I think I've heard the melody of this from somewhere).

The soundeffects are also good, I just have one complaint about the "Arrow hit enemy" sound, because it is a bit to quiet compared to the "Arrow hit scenery" sound, because this makes me think a bit, that hitting a wall would be more important that hitting enemies.
Also like that portamento of the healt pack sound.

Overall good soundtrack, I don't know how long you needed for this, but everyone will see, that there is a lot of effort in it (especially when tracking in speed 1 for smoother sounds :> ).

Aaand I'm done, sorry if I made some mistakes in my "novel", I'm not the best english writer.

[FloppyDisk]

This soundtrack is fantastic. The melodies are catchy and frantic, the namco channels are subdued and subtle, but they add so much to the song itself. I especially love the chords in level 2. The percussion is punchy and give the soundtrack that much more "oompf". The arpeggios in the boss theme starting from frame 0C in the pulse channels are also very well executed. My only complaint is that the ending theme is kinda lacking currently (but it does say to be remade, so yeah).

there is a lot of effort in it (especially when tracking in speed 1 for smoother sounds :> ).

Seriously, I don't understand how you can work so well with a speed of 1.

One more thing, that charge bow sound effect is really good.

[ollaxe]

... like crystals for the counter melody (I mean your 0 19 0 instrument, I just call them crystals) ...

Haha, I'll call them crystals from now on too, that's a great name for that instrument!

At first the intro song with the triangle as the lead was well done and the Namco Channels in the secound part of the track were very atmospheric, I just have the feeling this could also be put into something else than an intro (like imagine hearing the song, while going throught a desert city, because of the "exotic" Triangle flute for example), but I don't think this makes this song bad.

I'm not even sure at what point I thought this sounded like an intro, because it definitely sounds more like something you'd have in some sort of mini-boss I think. Probably before I made the second half of the song, because the first half could work as background music for an intro cut-scene. I'll change its name to something else.

Well, the ending theme is a WIP but well done(, but I think I've heard the melody of this from somewhere).

I wouldn't be that surprised if another song has the same melody, because it's really very simple from a music theory perspective. I probably won't continue working on that song though, because it didn't turn out that great in my opinion.

The soundeffects are also good, I just have one complaint about the "Arrow hit enemy" sound, because it is a bit to quiet compared to the "Arrow hit scenery" sound, because this makes me think a bit, that hitting a wall would be more important that hitting enemies.

That's a really good suggestion. I went for kind of realistic and natural sounding sound effects, but maybe that's not so great from a game design perspective. I'll make some changes to them and see if I can give them a good balance of realism and good design.

Overall good soundtrack, I don't know how long you needed for this, but everyone will see, that there is a lot of effort in it (especially when tracking in speed 1 for smoother sounds :> ).

Thank you! I didn't need that much, but it's really helpul, and I appriciate that you took your time to comment on everything. Thank you very much for that!

This soundtrack is fantastic. The melodies are catchy and frantic, the namco channels are subdued and subtle, but they add so much to the song itself. I especially love the chords in level 2. The percussion is punchy and give the soundtrack that much more "oompf". The arpeggios in the boss theme starting from frame 0C in the pulse channels are also very well executed. My only complaint is that the ending theme is kinda lacking currently (but it does say to be remade, so yeah).

Thank you! And yeah, you probably saw what I wrote about the ending song, so I'll spare you some reading and me some typing by not writing it again hehe.

there is a lot of effort in it (especially when tracking in speed 1 for smoother sounds :> ).

Seriously, I don't understand how you can work so well with a speed of 1.

I actually find it easier to work in speed 1, because it gives me more freedom to make more advanced instrumentation without having to worry about the instrument system. I don't need to make new intruments for everything I can't fit into the speed I'm using, because I'm using the same speed as the instruments are being played at. Arpeggios are way easier to implement into the song as well, which was the reason I started using speed 1 to begin with. If you want to try out tracking in speed one, then I strongly recommend you take advantage of the row highlighting and abuse ctrl+c ctrl+v, and I'd also recommend you still have all percussion in instruments.



Thank you both very much for the feedback! I appriciate it a lot!